The key facts

  • On November 7, gunman Michal Okshinsky shot people on Krakow’s Main Square, killing six; he died in hospital on Monday
  • Visits to websites about Breivik, symbols at his workplace and a Gadsden flag were found; the bodies of his parents and sister were discovered in the family home
  • The motive has not been definitively established; a political dispute has erupted around the far-right motivation theory

What happened and what investigators found

Polish investigators have uncovered data suggesting possible influence of far-right extremism on the gunman who killed six people in Krakow on November 7. On Tuesday, Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek, speaking on Radio Krakow,reported on the course of the investigation: the computer of 24-year-old Michal Okshinsky showed visits to websites devoted to Anders Behring Breivik — the Norwegian far-right extremist who killed 77 people in two attacks in Norway in 2011. “There is a very strong indication of right-wing extremism,” Zurek said, adding that symbols supporting this version had been found at the suspect’s workplace. In Okshinsky’s room, a yellow Gadsden flag with the inscription “Don’t Tread on Me” was found; besides its association with the American Revolution, it is used by some far-right groups in the United States. A firearm silencer was seized from the gunman’s car.

Timeline of the attack

According to Anadolu, on November 7 Okshinsky drove a car onto Krakow’s historic Main Market Square and opened fire on people in the crowded tourist area, killing six. Police wounded and detained him shortly after the attack; he died in hospital on Monday. The bodies of his parents and sister were found in the family home — according to the authorities, he likely killed them before the shooting in the city center. On Monday, thousands of people, including President Karol Nawrocki and Prime Minister Donald Tusk, walked in a silent march through Krakow in memory of the victims.

Political dispute over the motive

The investigation has triggered a political conflict over the question of the attack’s ideological motivation. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said shortly after the shooting that the attacker had been influenced by far-right ideology; the leader of the opposition Law and Justice party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, called that statement “a brazen lie.” On Tuesday, Kierwinski said he stood by his words but was awaiting the investigators’ conclusions. PiS lawmaker Michal Wójcik also criticized Zurek’s statements, accusing government officials of misleading the international community. At the same time, the gunman’s final motive, as well as the question of whether he acted entirely alone, has not yet been established by the investigation.